GM’s Badge Engineering Department was working overtime in the early 70s. The energy crisis made Pontiac, Olds and Buick dealers desperate for small cars, so Chevy was tapped several times, starting with the Nova in 1971. Act 2 was the Vega, which Pontiac turned into the Astre. Next up was Chevy’s Monza 2+2, which now Buick and Olds appropriated. At least they had something to make it a bit different: Buick’s V6. But this was the V6 in its original uneven-fire version, which always sounded (and felt) like a V8 with two dead spark plugs. But that was hardly the worst of the Skyhawk’s issues. Its suspension was a not sorted out, turning it into a notorious oversteerer. And its brakes were woefully inadequate. As R&T said in its conclusion: “In the final analysis, the Skyhawk loses points because it isn’t a finished car”. Gee, what were you expecting; this is Buick, after all. We’re still learning about these dang small cars. If you want a complete small car, maybe you should go check out the Toyota dealer down the street.
